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Monday, February 18, 2019

WEP/IWSG February Challenge-28 Days

It's time for another WEP/IWSG Challenge! This month's prompt is special because it's the result of a IWSG contest. Lots of great ideas came in, and Toinette Thomas submitted the winner.

28 Days. A lot can happen in the course of 28 days. I'm sure we'll have a lot of excellent entries. Here's mine. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

28 Days

My
blood runs like ice in my veins.

I
double check the calendar and count forward from the star scribbled in black
pen. That little star is nestled in the corner of an ordinary Saturday. When I put
it there, I didn’t imagine I’d soon be agonizing over it.

28
days have passed.

4
weeks.

672
hours.

No
matter how I break it down, the numbers aren’t fundamentally different. They
all point to one inescapable truth.

It’s
amazing how many events can fit into such a short span of time. You can meet
someone who seems like everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner. You can go
on a few dates and stay up late into the night talking about anything and
everything. You can open your heart and lay your soul bare in front of someone
for the first time.

And
then that person can take all that trust and hope you’ve placed with them and
shatter it. They can disappear from your life as quickly as they entered it.

All
those things can happen in 28 days.

I
sigh and stare at the numbered squares. I told myself I would wait it out, that
I was freaking out over nothing. My stomach rolls as I think about all those
lies I formed in my own mind. And I can’t help but form a few more. The stress
might be throwing me off, I tell myself. It’ll come. Of course it’ll come. I
try to ignore the glaring fact that my body runs like clockwork. I’ve never
been late before.

There’s a first
time for everything,my brain tries to tell me.

I
take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Stars burst before me as I press my
hands against my eyelids. When I pull them away, it takes several moments for
my vision to clear. The brown paper bag I picked up from the store this morning
waits for me on the counter. My shoulders slump as I move to pick it up and
head to the bathroom.

I
triple check the instructions on the rectangular box before I open it. I’m numb
as I go through the motions. If I don’t think too much about what I’m doing,
then it won’t be real. The thought is ludicrous, of course, but it’s a constant
problem for me. If I’m too anxious about a situation, I can’t face it like I
should.

That’s why it took
you four days to realize Ethan wasn’t going to call you again, my brain tells
me.

The
truth cuts deep.

I
finish the test and sit down on the edge of the bathtub to await the results. The
stick sits beside the sink, just above my line of sight. The cool porcelain grounds
me a little. The seconds tick by as I try to calm my racing heart.

I
wonder where Ethan is. He certainly isn’t about to tear his hair out with worry
like I am. He’s blissfully unaware of how unstable the world is beneath my
feet. If he knew, would he care? My gut tells me no.

My
brain has plenty more to say on the subject. Why did I trust him? I barely knew him. He seemed like everything I
ever wanted, but I should have known better. Anyone can pretend to be the
perfect partner for a couple of weeks. Why was I so stupid? What will Mom have
to say about all of this? She warned you about guys like him, didn’t she? Is
finishing college still possible?

The
thought spiral threatens to swallow me whole.

Then
it’s time to check the test. Results in 2 minutes or less, the box said. I grip
the side of the tub until my knuckles turn white. My fingers ache. “You have to
look now,” I tell myself sternly. “Waiting isn’t going to change the answer.”
With one forceful motion, I push myself to my feet and look at that fateful
stick.

+

I
let out a shaky breath. My stomach drops, and I wobble in place. Such a little
sign. Simple. In elementary school, it resulted in easy answers. 1+1=2. Except
that equation doesn’t seem so uncomplicated, either. Not anymore.

The
numbers in my world have changed.

9
months.

Then
18 years.

No,
not 18 years. A whole lifetime. A lifetime of guidance and worrying about another
human being. The gravity of it washes over me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

Great pace and tension. I was with her when she went to open up that bag. I definitely wanted to call up Ethan and tell him off or invite him to take some responsibility (although it doesn't sound like he will). And her worries are all justified, and yet ... there is wonder to be had in those 9 months and a lifetime of relationship.

I hope Ethan comes back and has a good excuse for his absence. But anyway, your heroine makes it seem a tragedy, when in fact she just received a gift from that flaky guy Ethan. Whether he returns or not, she will always have her child. She will always love it, no matter what happens with Ethan, and love is always a gift. I understand her tension and fears - she is young - but I can't pity her. I feel like congratulating her instead.

Laura, this is fabulous. You had me on the edge of my seat, especially while she was on edge in the bathroom. What a tense wait. Those two minutes would have seemed like hours. The result will mean huge changes in her life -- college? the way she responds in future relationships? facing her mother? But she may come to see the child as a blessing. Even though unwanted now, she may fall in love with him/her and be ever thankful that at least Ethan the cad left her with a wondrous gift.

Wow, I seriously almost wrote this story. It was an idea I toyed with but just couldn't find the right execution. You've done a great job. You built up the tension so well and captured the gravity of the whole situation. Nice entry.

An emotional journey that I can only feel from the reader aisle - but swept in by your words and phrases. Blood and nature as I said, but this is a different case and depends what happens next. Well done.

I always wonder at the immaturity of the kind of man who can completely abandon someone he's gotten pregnant. I think such a man is not a man at all but an immature adolescent. The child is probably better off without him. You did an excellent job of writing this. It is very realistic.

One bad decision or is it? Perhaps this unborn child will rescue this young woman who should have considered the long range implications of not protecting her life from complications. Maybe the child will be the light of her life. Some women aren't meant to be mothers for various reasons. An excellent take on the prompt and you showed her tension and indecision well.

So vivid. So real. So many young woman face this situation every day. What's next is will she tell Ethan? Or, just disappear and raise her child alone. Would she consider adoption. SO many woman can't have children. So many question... Wonderful tension. Well done!

Hi Laura - well done and why oh why do women get left with the challenge and horror of dealing with a new life at such vulnerable times. I just hope she can in due time enjoy her child. Great story - well told .. cheers Hilary

I was in the moment... waiting for the test results... praying that it was negative for her sake... and then my heart sank. As for Ethan - I don't think she should waste time even trying to get hold of him.I loved the tension.